Component trays are widely used to provide a plurality of electronic components to a placement apparatus, which grasps the component and places it on a circuit board. Each component tray typically includes an outer frame that surrounds a central portion having a plurality of pockets or indentations, and each of the pockets is adapted to hold an electronic component. The unitary trays are typically constructed of injection molded plastic, and are tough and resilient. The pockets of each tray are regularly spaced across the length and width of the tray, and thus the placement apparatus may be programmed to grasp a component at each successive pocket location until a tray is empty. A full tray may then be substituted for the empty tray, and the placement process may continue.
Component trays of the foregoing description are widely used in the electronics industry because they have several benefits. First, each tray may hold dozens of individual components at the same orientation (although at different positions), and thus many components may be transported and used with relative ease. Second, the trays may be stacked without damage to the components, enabling a plurality of trays to be transported together. In such an arrangement, the components are protected from impact and from environmental contaminants (such as dust) that may harm the components. Third, the trays may be used repeatedly, which reduces waste and supply costs. Fourth, trays made of suitable materials may be used in a baking process, whereby the trays and the components are heated in an oven to allow excess moisture to dissipate, or to aid in curing the components.
Although component trays have several benefits, as described above, certain disadvantages are also evident. For example, each component tray includes pockets that are sized to match a particular component. In fact, the tolerance between the component and the walls of the pocket are typically very small, and thus a particular tray is typically useful only for a single size of component. In fact, certain electronics industry standards may require that each type of component be carried in a distinct type of tray, to prevent confusion. Thus, a different sized component would require that hundreds or thousands of new trays be made so that the new component may be supplied to the manufacturer. These new trays can be expensive, which raises the costs that must be borne by the manufacturer. Furthermore, if one or more pockets of a component tray is damaged, the entire tray must be discarded.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a component tray that exhibits the advantages of present component trays while minimizing or eliminating the disadvantages. It is also desirable to provide a relatively inexpensive method and apparatus for transporting electronic components in large quantities.